Railway switching apparatus.



PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905.

\ J. 1). TAYLOR. RAILWAY SWITCHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED YZEEBA 24, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

In veni 5 3:13 Hana-#235 witnessed:

PATENTED SEPT. 26, 1905.

J. D. TAYLOR. RAILWAY SWITCHING APPARATUS.

s SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED FEB, 24, I902.

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No. 800,246. 0 PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1905. r

0 J. 0.. TAYLOR. 0

RAILWAY SWITCHING APPARATUS,

APPLICATION FILED 1 .13. 24. 1902.

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m 0k 70371 K7 l im w" UNITED STATES LPATRN OFFIOR.

JOHN 1). TAYLOR, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TAYLOR SIGNAL OOMPANY, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A OORPO ATION OF NEW YORK.

ToaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN D. TAYLOR, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo,

My invention consists of a pole-changing electric switch for controlling the motor-circuits for starting, stopping, and reversing the motor and for controlling the indication-circuits through which currents generated by the motor are sent to give indication of the position of the track-switch and release the locking of the controlling-lever at the proper time, the said pole-changing switch. being actuated in part automatically by the switchoperating mechanism and in part by the operator through the means of electromagnets which form part of the apparatus, and also of improved mechanism for transmitting movement from the switch-operating mechanism to the pole-changing switch at the proper t1me.

An object 0 of this invention is to arrange the control of the switch-operating motor so' that the operator can reverse the movement of the motor at will, so that if the switchrails are blocked against a'movement in one direction by an obstruction-as, for instance,

snowhe can by putting the controlling-1e ver back into its original position cause the track-switch to move back to its original position.

Another object of this invention is to make the automatic movement of the pole-changing switch depend solely on the finalpart of the movement of the lock-bolt after it has passed through the lock-rod. This insures the coni dition that the switch is properly home and locked beforethe indication is given.

Referring to the drawings herewith, consisting of three sheets, in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts, 5 Figure 1 is a plan view of the switch-operating mechanism, showing the construction and Specification of Letters Patent. I Application filed February 24, 1902. SerialNo. 95,460-

-former.

RAILWAY SWITCHING APPARATUS- Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

' connection of the pole-changing switch andv the mechanism controlling -it through the Fig. 2 is a side .elevation of the same, the pole-changing switch being shown in section on the line m a; of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view, on a larger scale, of the mechanism for I controlling the pole changing switch. Fig. 1 is a section on the line y y of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a diagram of circuits.

The switch-operating mechanism is fully illustrated and described in my Patents No. 554,097, dated February 4, 1896; No. 681,589, dated August 27. 1901; No. 707,181, dated August 19, 1902, and the controlling-lever and indicating mechanism are fully described and illustrated in my Patent No. 752,127, dated February 16, 1904:. It will therefore be understood that the bar 8, hereinafter mentioned,

is connected at itsouter end to'the trackframe 1 is so placed that the bar 3 is axially in line with the lock-bolt 4:. At right angles to and above bar-3 a bar 5 slides in guides on the frame 1. A T-crank 6 is pivoted on a stud carried by the bar 3. Between the T- crank 6 and the bar 3 a cam 7 is attached rigidly to the bar 3. Motion is communicated from'the lock-rod 8 to the bar 5 by means of a lever 9, pivoted near its middle point to the.

frame 1 andconnected to the bar 5 through the link 10. The lock-rod 8 acts on the lever 9 .by means of the pins 11 and 12. A stud 13 projects downwardly from the bar 5 and acts the first part of the movement of the operat 'n.

ing mechanism Withdraws the lock-bolt tfron'i 'pivot. by means of the rods and 16, to the movrial 19.

of the movement the pin 12 strikes the lever 9 and through it moves the bar 5, so that the stud 13 takes a position on the opposite side of the bar 3, and in passing to this position it acts on the cam 7 and moves the bar 3, so that its end projects into the hole in the locking-frame 2, which is occupied by the lock-bolt when the switch is locked. The final part of the movement of the switch-operating mechanism pushes the lock-bolt 4 through a hole 14 in the lock-rod 8. The final part of the movement of the lock-bolt 4 pushes the bar 3, carrying with it the T-crank 6. The stud 13, being in position to engage the other arm of the T- crank 6, causes it to turn on its The end of the T-crank 6 is connected,

able part of the pole-changing switch. This movable part carries contact-pieces 17 and 18, supported upon a block of insulating mate- The contact 17 can make connection between the brushes and 21 or between the brushes 22 and 23. The contact-piece 18 can make connection between the brushes 24 and or between the brushes 26 and 27. The movement of the T-crank 6, just described, carries the contact-piece 17 away from the brushes 20 and 21 and puts it in connection with the brushes 22 and 23, and the contact-piece 18 is carried away from the brushes 24 and 25 and put into connection with the brushes 26 and 27. This movement breaks the operating-circuit through the mo tor and makes the indication-circuit, including the motor and the indication-magnet, as will be described hereinafter.

The brushes 2O 21 24 25 and 22 23 26 27 are supported on insulating-pieces 28 and 29, respectively. The movable piece of the polechanging switch which carries the contactpieces 17 and 18 comprises the armature 30 and the cores 31 of thesolenoids 32 and 33. The solenoids 32 and 33 are inclosed in a casing 34, which forms their support and the support for the blocks carrying the brushes and which is attached to the frame of the switch-operating machine. The tubes of the solenoids form the guides for the movable part of the pole-changing switch.

hole in the disk 40. The shaft 37 carries a commutator consisting of a cylinder of insulating material 41 and two cylindrical sectors of conducting material 42 and The commu tator is arranged so that when it is rotated the piece 42 can make electrical connection between the brushes 44 and during the larger part of a revolution, and the piece 13 can make electrical connection between the the brushes 46 and 47 during the same part of a revolution.

As it requires just one revolution of the shaft 38 for a movement of the switch-rail from one position to the other, the brushes 46, 47, 44, and 45 will rest on the same line of the commutator in both locked positions of the track-switch, and the connnutator is so placed that the brushes will rest on the exposed portion of the insulatirig-cylinder 41. The pieces 42 and 43 cover such part of the circumference of the commutator that they make connection with their respective brushes from some time previous to the withdrawal of the lock-bolt 4 from the lock-rod 8 to a time after it has been inserted through the lock-rod. To make this clearer, .I will express these relations in the exact figures of a. full-size machine in actual use. \Vhen fully home, the lock-bolt 4 projects three-quarters of an inch through the lock-rod 8. In moving this three-quarters of an inch it acts on the bar 3 so that the bar 3 has three-quarters of an inch movement, and the cmnmutator 42 and 43 is so constructed and arranged with reference to the other mechanism that it electrically connects the brush 44 to the brush 45 and the brush 46 to the brush 47 during the whole time that the bar 3 is free from the lock-bolt 4that is, these electrical connections are made during all the movement of the switch-rails and the whole movement of the lock-bolt except the first and last three-quarters of an inch.

To describe the operation, reference will be made particularly to Fig. The circuiteontroller, consisting of the brushes 48 and 49, and the contacts 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and form a part of the con trolling-machine located in the cabin. The brushes 48 and 49 are supported on a block 58, of insulating material. This block 58 is connected by the rod 59 to the controlling lever or handle, as fully described in my said Patents No. 707,181, dated August 19, 1902, and No. 752,127, dated February 16, 1904. The contacts 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, and are supported on insulating material. To reverse the position of the track-switch, the movable part of the controller. comprising the brushes 48 and 49, is drawn to the right until the brush 49 makes connection between the contacts 51 and 52 and the brush 48 makes connection between the contacts 54 and This closes a circuitof the battery 60, so that the current fiows through wire 61, magnet 62, wires 63 and 64, contact 52, brush 49, contact 51, wires 65 and 66, brush 2U, contact-piece l7, brush 21, wires 67 and 68, armature 36,

back into the position shown in Fig.5.

the circuits established and the operationsare rods and 16, move the contact-pieces 172 and 18. This movement carries the piece'17 away from the brushes and 21 and puts it into connection with the brushes 22 and 23,

' and carries the piece 18 away from the brushes 24 and 25 and puts it into connection with the brushes 26 and 27. This breaks the circuit above described and establishes another circuit including the switch-operating motor and the indication-magnet 75, so that the current generated by the continued rotation of the armature 36 flows from the said armature throughthe wire 68, brush 26, contact-piece 18, brush 27, wires 77 and 72, field-coils 73, wires 74 and 79, magnet 75, wires 80 and 81,

contact 55, brush 48, contact 54, wire. 82, wire 83, brush 22, contact 17,- brush 23, wires 84 and 69, back to the armature 36. This current energizes the magnet 7 5 .causing it to lift itsarmature and release the locking of the controlling-lever, permitting it to make its final movement, as explained in my aforesaid patents. To put the switch back into'the normal position, the controller 48 49 is put exactly similar to those just described, it will be unnecessary to trace the current in detail.

To describe the reversible feature, which forms the principal part of this invention, suppose the above-described movement of the switch to have been started and that before the switch completes its movement it is desired from any cause, suchas an obstructionbetween the rails, to put it back normal. The controller is put back normal, which puts the brush 49 in connection with the contacts 50' and 51 andthe brush 48 in connection with the contacts 53 and 54. This closes a circuit of the battery 60, so that the current flows through the wire 61, magnet 62, wires 63and 85, contact 53, brush 48, contact 54, wires 82 and 86, brush 47, commutator-cylinder 43, brush 46, wire 87, solenoid 33, wires 76 and 74, back to the battery 60. This energizes the solenoid 33, which acting on the cores 31 moves the contact-piece ,17 and the contactpiece 18 so that the piece 17 makes connection between the brushes 22 and 23 instead of 20' and 21, and the piece 18 makes contact between the brushes 26 and27 instead of the brushes 24 and 25. This newposition'of. the

contacts 17' and 18 closes another circuit of the battery 60,- so that the current flows through the wire 61, magnet 62, wires 63 and 85, contact 53, brush 48, contact 54, wires 82 and 83, brush 22, contact-piece 17, brush 23,

wires 84'and 69, armature 36, wire 68, brush 26, contact-piece 18, brush 27, wires 77 and 72, field coils 73, and wire 74, back to the battery 30. This current causes the armature 36 to rotate in such'direction as to put the track-switch back into the normal position, at the end of which movement the movable part of the pole-changing switch is changed to the opposite side, as before described, and the indication-current is generated and acts on the indication-magnet 75, as

above described. To effect a reversal in the opposite direction, the solenoid 32, commutator-cylinder 42, and the brushes 44 and 45 come into play. The movements and circuits are exactly similar to those just described.

The commutator 42 43 and its brushes are employed merely to cutoff current from the solenoids 32 and 33 when the track-switch is 'at rest in either position when locked, thus avoiding waste of current and danger of overheating the solenoids.

Having thus described my invention and its method of operation, what I claim is 1. The combination of a switch mechanism,

a pole-changing switch, magnets for operating said pole-changingswitch, a controller, an operating-wire, a wire connected to the opposite pole of the battery, with means for automatically reversing said pole-changing switch when the rail has completed its move-' ment, additional means for; reversing said pole-changing switchat any time prior to the final movement and locking of the, rail-switch by a reverse movement of the controller closing the circuit'including the battery and a magnet of ,the pol'e-changing switch, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

- 2. The combination of a switch mechanism,

a pole-changing switch, magnets for operating said pole-changing switch, a. controller, and

operating and indication circuits, with means for automatically reversingsaid pole-changing switch when the rail has completed its movement, and additional means for reversing said pole-changing switch atany' tim'eprior to the final movement and locking of the railswitch by a reverse-movement'of the controller closing a circuit including the battery and a magnet of thepole changingswitch, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3; The combination of a switch mechanism, a pole-changing switch, magnets for operating said pole-changing switch, a controller, and operating and indication circuits, with mechanism for automatically reversing said pole- 'changingswitch after the rail-switch has completedits movement, and additional means under control of the'op'erator for-reversing j the movement of *the' rail-switch comprising &

said solenoids. and said controller and circuits including said solenoids and closed through said controller, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4:. The combination of a switch mechanism, a pole-changing switch, a controller, and operating and indication circuits, with mechanism for automatically reversing said polechanging switch, and additional mechanism for reversing said pole-changing switch comprising said controller, a commutator, solenoids and circuits including said solenoids and said commutator, and closed through said controller, whereby the rail switch may be brought back to its initial position before the completion of a given movement, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. The combination of a switch mechanism, a pole-changing switch, a controller, and operating and indication circuits, with mechanism for automatically reversing said poleehanging switch at the completion of a movement, and additional means for reversing said pole-changing switch, comprising said controller, solenoids and circuits including said solenoids and closed through said controller, an armature actuated by said solenoids, contact plates carried by said armature, and brushes capable of making contact with said plates, and circuits for energizing said solenoids, whereby the current may be reversed in the motor at any point during the movement to return the rail-switch to its initial position, substantially as and for the purposes seforth.

6. The combination of a switch mechanism, a pole-changing switch, a controller, and operating and indication circuits, with mechanism i'or automatically reversing said polechanging switch at the completion of a movement, and additional means for reversing said pole-changing switch, comprising said controller, a commutator, solenoids, and circuits including said solenoids and said commutator, and closed through said controller, an armature actuated by said solenoids, contact-plates carried by said armature, and brushes capable of making contact with said plates, and circuits for energizing said solenoids, whereby the current may be reversed in the motor at any point during the movement to return the rail-switch to its initial position, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

7. The combination of a switch mechanism, a pole-changing switch, a controller, and operating and indication circuits, with mechanism for automatically reversing said polechanging switch at the completion of a movement, comprising brushes and contact-plates for breaking the operating-circuit and making the indication-circuit and means for moving said contact-plates, comprising a locking- -bolt, a bar axially in line with said lockingbolt and actuated thereby, a cam rigidly secured to said bar, a locking-bar, a bar actuated by said locking-bar, a T-crank pivoted to said bar actuated by said locking-bolt, and a rod mediately connecting said T-crank to saidLcontact-plates, a stud on said bar actuated by said locking-bar capable of engaging said T-crank, whereby movement is imparted to said contact-plates during the linal movement of the locking-boltand by its linal movement, and whereby the direction of movement of said plates is determined by the engagement of said stud with one or the other of the arms of said T-crank, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

8. The combination of a switch mechanism, a pole-changing switch, a controller, and operating and indication circuits, with mechanism for automatically reversing said polechanging switch at the completion of a movement, comprising brushes and contact-plates for breaking the operating-circuit and making the indication-circuit and means for moving said contact-plates, comprising a lockingbolt, a bar axially in line with said lockingbolt and actuated thereby, a cam rigidly secured to said bar, a locking-bar, a bar actuated by said locking-bar, a T-crank pivoted to said bar actuated by said locking-bolt, and a rod mediately connecting said T-crank to said contact-plates, a stud on said bar actuated by said locking-bar capable of engaging said Tcrank, whereby movement is imparted to said contact-plates during the iinal movement of the locking-boltand by its linal movement, and whereby the direction of movement of said plates is determined by the engagement of said stud with one or the other 01 the arms of said T crank-; and additional means for reversing said pole-changing switch prior to the final movement, comprising said controller, a commutator, solenoids, and circuits including said solenoids and said commutator, and closed through said controller, an armature actuated by said solenoids, contact-plates carried by said armature and brushes capable of making contact with said plates, and circuits for energizing said solenoids, whereby the current may be reversed in the motor at any point during the movement to return the rail-switch to its initial position, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

9. In combination with a switch mechanism, operating and indication circuits and a controller, mechanism for automatically breaking the actuating-circuit and making the indication-circuit at the close of a movement of the railswitch,com prising a pole-changing switch and mechanism actuated by the movement of the rail-switch and actuating said pole-changing switch; and electromagnetic means for reversing said pole-changing switch at any point of either movement, comprising solenoids and an armature reciprocated by said solenoids to reverse said pole-changing switch at any point between the initial and final movein reverse direction to return the rail-switch I0 ment, and a commutator actuated by the railto its initial position, substantially as-and for switch mechanism for maintaining a circuit the purposes set forth.

including one of said solenoids and the con- In witness whereof I have hereunto set my troller, whereby, by moving the'controller to hand in the presence of two Witnesses. the other position, the actuating-current may J N O. D. TAYLOR. be sent'through the other of said solenoids to \Vitnesses: reverse said pole-changing switch and estab- JOHN F. GALLAN,

I lish the actuating-current through the motor I D. B. TUTTLE. 

